Who Is This So Weak and Helpless?

Who Is This So Weak and Helpless?

William W. How (1867)

Who is this, so weak and helpless, 

Child of lowly Hebrew maid, 

Rudely in a stable sheltered, 

Coldly in a manger laid? 

’Tis the Lord of all creation, 

Who this wondrous path hath trod; 

He is God from everlasting, 

And to everlasting God.

Who is this, a Man of Sorrows, 

Walking sadly life’s hard way, 

Homeless, weary, sighing, weeping, 

Over sin and Satan’s sway? 

’Tis our God, our glorious Savior, 

Who above the starry sky 

Is for us a place prepareth, 

Where no tear can dim the eye.

Who is this? Behold him shedding 

Drops of blood upon the ground! 

Who is this, despised, rejected, 

Mocked, insulted, beaten, bound? 

’Tis our God, who gifts and graces 

On His church now poureth down; 

Who shall smite in righteous judgment 

All His foes beneath His throne.

Who is this that hangeth dying 

While the rude world scoffs and scorns, 

Numbered with the malefactors, 

Torn with nails, and crowned with thorns? 

’Tis the God who ever liveth 

‘Mid the shining ones on high, 

In the glorious golden city,

Reigning everlastingly.

Why have I never heard this doctrinally-rich song before?

Do You Believe in the Devil?

The unbeliever, you know, not only doesn’t believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, he doesn’t believe in the Devil.  And whether a man believes in the Devil or not is a very good test of whether he is a believer or not.  The unbeliever ridicules the doctrines of salvation even though he knows nothing about our conflict, which is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and the powers, against our adversary the Devil.  But the believer has this knowledge.  And so a man who has new life and has this spiritual apprehension and understanding realizes that in a sense he’s in a very dangerous position.  He’s going to be the special object of the attacks of the Devil.  What will the Devil do with him?  Well, the Devil will not try to ridicule the whole of Christianity.  What the Devil will now do with him will be to try to insinuate certain heresies, certain errors, certain doubts and queries and questions about particular matters.  That’s what the Devil did in the early church, as we seen in the New Testament, and that’s what he’s been doing ever since.  He’s very active at the present time among evangelicals.  They are looking again at the early chapter of Genesis.  Have they been wrong all these years?  They’ve been looking anew at evolution and so on, the supernatural.  This is the subtlety of the Devil.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “Experiencing the New Birth: Studies in John 3,” pg.77-78

Are You Born Again?

Those who are born again have no difficulty whatsoever about the broad doctrines of salvation.  They do not understand them perfectly or fully, but they know that the biblical doctrine of sin is true—true of them, true of all.  They have no trouble believing the doctrine of condemnation and of hell.  If you dislike the doctrine of condemnation and the judgment of the Law, I cannot see that you are born again; you are thinking as a natural man.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “Experiencing the New Birth: Studies in John 3,” pg.70

Is the Bible Just From Man?

If you are still arguing — “Well, is this anything but. . . is the Bible anything more than men’s thoughts and men’s ideas?” — if that is your view, take it from me, you are not born again.  Those who do not see the absolute necessity of revelation from God are not born again.  Those who are born again have no difficulty about revelation and the miraculous and the supernatural.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “Experiencing the New Birth: Studies in John 3,” pg.69

Did They Really Say That?!?

This only proves that the Pope speaks for Satan rather than for Christ.

Humorous, Yet Truthful Memes

Random Aberrations, Apostasies, and Heresies

What’s with church “karaoke”?  This is something I have experienced in several churches I’ve either attended (including the current one) or visited.  It can be a CD playing music for the choir to sing to or, more often, a soloist (sometimes duet) with a CD playing not only the music but also background singers!!  These become nothing more than performances and are always treated as such as the congregation applauds!  (I will never applaud anyone singing in church.)   Almost as annoying is when the song leader decides to have only the men sing a verse and then the women sing a verse with all singing the chorus.  Why oh why?!?!

Steven Furtick and T.D. Jakes — two peas in a pod.   Nasty wolves.  Are they both heretics?  Yes.

The following was written by L.L. (Don) Veinot, Jr.,  President,  Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc., in The Crux e-letter, 12/3/15 

We raising mission support can be difficult and at times cause the missionary to question their calling. This is especially true we see how well false teachers are paid to operate within the church. In the World Magazine article, "Management mania" about Teen Mania Ministries we find out that they paid Oneness Pentecostal, T.D. Jakes for one talk:

- $100,000.00 For A 50- minute speech
- $21,000.00 For a private jet
- $4,000.00 to stay two nights at the Ritz Carlton
- $10,000.00 For imported flowers, chocolates, gifts, etc,....
- Two Cadillac Escalade Limousine

In a way it reminds me of something Dr. Norman Geisler once said. He was talking about New Ager Shirley McLaine who put on weekend conferences for $300.00 where she told those who attend that they are god. Geisler said you would go to her conference and for $300.00 she will tell you you are god or you can go to his conference and for $10.00 he will tell you that you are a sinner. "You get what you pay for" he quipped. Yes, false teaching is profitable in this life but it will leave its followers in spiritual bankruptcy in eternity.

Interesting article exposing some of the inside workings of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Twenty years ago pastor Gary Gilley wrote a 3-part series examine spiritual warfare from a biblical viewpoint and from the false teachings of people such as Neil Anderson, C.F. Dickason, Mark Bubeck, et al.  I’ve had the printouts in my file and recently discovered them, and decided I should point out the series to my readers because they are an excellent resource.  Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

How about instead of getting our kids hooked on “Christian” video games, we not get them hooked on ANY video games!  These are time wasters, as well as money wasters.  Give children games which develop their imaginations and keep them away from the video idol.  Calling it “Christian” doesn’t make it so.

False teacher list —  wolves to stay away from!

Christianity Today Astray says legal abortion isn’t murder.  Gee, according to my dictionary, abortion, legal or not, fits the definition of murder.

Until next time, remember that they walk among us.  Learn to recognize them.

Don't Be "Religious"

If you are religious you will not be a problem to other persons because they may be religious themselves, and in any case the world never objects to a religious person as such.  The formal religious person never gets persecuted.  If you are the sort of person of whom it is known that you attend a place of worship occasionally or perhaps even every Sunday morning and no more, you will not get persecuted for that; that is quite a polite and nice thing to do  But if you give the impression that this is now the biggest thing in your life and it is affecting the whole of your personality, you will soon find that it makes a difference and that a kind of persecution will begin.  The world never persecutes religion, but what it does persecute is Christlikeness.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “Experiencing the New Birth: Studies in John 3,” pg.64

The Harm of Prejudice

The harm that is done by prejudice is incalculable.  It is always based on ignorance, of course and the lack of clear thinking.  But it is a terrible thing because it is deep and it is emotional and it can do great damage.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “Experiencing the New Birth: Studies in John 3,” pg.13

A Right Conception of God is Needed

A right conception of God is basic not only to systematic theology but to practical Christian living as well.  It is to worship what the foundation is to the temple; where it is inadequate or out of plumb the whole structure must sooner or later collapse.  I believe there is scarcely an error in doctrine or a failure in applying Christian ethics that cannot be traced finally to imperfect and ignoble thoughts about God. . . .  Wrong ideas about God are not only the fountain from which the polluted waters of idolatry flow; they are themselves idolatrous.  The idolater simply imagines things about God and act as if they were true.

A.W. Tozer, "The Knowledge of the Holy Spirit," pg.3-4, cited by Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson in "Mormonism 101," pg.33